The Dalai Lama: Happiness through wisdom and compassion

The Dalai Lama often speaks of a ‘Buddhist science,’ a science of mind and, for the last thirty years, he has engaged in numerous dialogues and collaborations with scientists within the Mind and Life Institute. How can this ‘science of mind’ contribute to our understanding of happiness? What does the Dalai Lama mean by this simple and straightforward statement “the main goal of life is happiness?” In this essay, I discuss what enduring happiness means according to the Buddhist perspective and the ways in which the Dalai Lama embodies this enduring happiness. I will approach happiness as a way of being, not a gift that good fortune bestows upon us and a reversal of fortune takes back, but a skill that can be cultivated. In order to become happy, we have to learn how to change our selves.